A Beauty Pageant
by SkeletalValkyrie
Summary: Yeah, I know, The title sucks.  Well, in the first book, Nicholas said- or thought- that Alexa could be in a beauty pageant. So here it is! Slight Alexa/Nicholas towards the end. Dedicated to Barbs. XD
1. Alexa Agrees

**Hello.**

**Well, I don't really know what to say.**

**Hope you enjoy it! :D  
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><p>"Aww, come on, Alexa! Please?" Lincoln whined.<p>

"No. Nothing you are going to say is going to make me join. And can you please stop pacing? It's making me dizzy. " Alexa remained firm.

"Sorry, Lex. No can do." Lincoln winked, pacing faster.

"Please, Lexie? For the Watch?" Simon tried.

"No. And don't call me Lexie."

"We'll call you Lexie unless you join." Nicholas threatened.

"Go ahead, then," Alexa said.

"Gahhh!" Lincoln was frustrated. Suddenly, the door opened and the Hennessey siblings entered.

"You're late," Alexa said, eager for a change of subject.

"Blame Rory! He wanted to talk to his _girlfriend_." Bridget sniggered. Before Rory could protest, she went on. "But don't let us disturb you; you were having such an interesting argument a while ago."

Bridget grabbed an armchair and Rory sat on the edge of Nicholas's bed.

The Rattle Watch had gathered together in Nicholas's room. Nicholas was seated at a chair in front of his desk; Simon was sprawled on the top bunk of a newly-added bunk bed at the other side of the room. Lincoln and Simon sometimes had sleep-overs in Nicholas's room, and the bunk bed was for them. Alexa was sitting on another armchair, beside Bridget, and Lincoln, hyper as always, was pacing around the room in circles.

"What _were_ you arguing about?" Rory asked.

"Lexie won't agree to join a Beauty Pageant," Lincoln said, pouting.

"Ohmigod, there's a Beauty Pageant?" Bridget squealed, looking at Alexa. "You would _so_, _totally_ win it!"

"That's what we _all_ told her." Nicholas said. "But she doesn't want to join."

"I know something that'll make her join," Bridget smiled evilly. She leaned over and whispered something in Alexa's ear.

Alexa's eyes widened, and she said, "Okay, okay. Fine, I'll join!" As Bridget leaned back into her seat with a satisfied grin.

The boys exchanged confused looks, but cheered.

Alexa glared at Bridget, and, in a hushed tone, said, "Don't you _dare_ say a word."

Bridget just waggled her eyebrows in reply.

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><p><strong>Hope you liked it! R&amp;R, please! :D<strong>

**Thanks,**

**~SkellyVal  
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	2. To The Pageant!

**Hello again.**

**I'm really sorry it took a really, really long time to upload this. I've been pretty busy. -.-  
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**But I hope you enjoy this!**

**(I edited this because there was an error)  
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><p>"No! I am NOT wearing that!"<p>

"But, Lexie! You wore them once already!"

"That was for a _mission_. Besides, these are four inches! _Four_ inches! Do you know how high that is?"

"Uhh, four inches?"

Just then, Bridget's head popped in from the doorway.

"Are you done yet? We already have the dress!"

"It's not our fault she won't wear them," Lincoln complained.

"Jeez, guys. Rory and I leave you for two hours and you can't manage to convince her to wear heels! It's not that hard!" Bridget walked into the room.

"We're not girls. We don't know this stuff." Nicky defended.

"But you're her gang. You should know how to persuade her." Bridget countered. "But whatever. I'll fix this."

The boys exited the room, leaving Bridget and Alexa alone.

An hour later, Bridget left the room.

"Well. Give it up for, Alexa van der Donck!"

She opened the door for Alexa. When no one stepped out, Bridget marched in and dragged Alexa out.

Alexa was wearing a long, dark blue shimmering evening gown that had a thigh slit. She was wearing black heels, and her lustrous hair was done in an up-do, with some locks falling around her ears. Draped on her long neck was an elegant silver choker set with dark blue gems.

"Whoa. Lexie, you look like Martha Jay." Simon stared.

"A prettier version of Martha Jay." Nicholas praised.

Lincoln looked up and his mouth dropped. "Alexa… you look… different."

"What. Happened. To. You?" Rory's eye twitched. "Sis, you really made Alexa shine."

Bridget bowed and Alexa glared at them. "Shut up. I don't even get why I have to wear this."

"Because you have to look presentable." Bridget said simply. "Now mademouiselle, your carriage awaits."

"This is NOT presentable. Carriage? What carriage?"

"No time for chitchat. Lets go!"

And with Bridget dragging Alexa, They made their way to the limousine parked outside the Stuyvesant estate to the opening night of the beauty pageant.

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><p><strong>There. R&amp;R, please!<br>**

**I'll try to upload soon, but no promises. XD**

**~SkellyVal**


	3. Meet The Judges

**I took so long to upload.**

**I'm really, really, really sorry. I've been really busy with another project lately. I might take some time to upload again. But hopefully not.**

**Before I forget:**

**Thank you for the comments.**

**And thank you to awesomestorydigest for adding this story to their favourite stries list. It means a lot. :D  
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**Anyways, ****here it is. **

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><p>"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, spirits of Mannahatta. Welcome to the very first Mannahatta Beauty Pageant, 'The Mannahatta Beauty!'" A loud, deep voice boomed around the dome-like stadium.<p>

Multicolored lights danced around the stage as the crowds cheered and roared. The huge dome was completely filled with people, some shouting and clapping, and the other much more sane people just staring blatantly at the people beside them, who were screaming their heads off.

The host stood in the middle of a semi-circular stage. He had his back to a big, digital screen that alternated between close-up shots of him and a silver background with the words 'The Mannahatta Beauty' in a metallic purple colored fancy font. In front of him, directly at the edge of the stage, was a slightly curved table where three people sat. They were either looking rather bored and impatient, or smiling in a fake creepy sort of way. A few feet behind and on either side of the table, and all around the stage save for behind the big screen, people were cheering.

The host was a tall, handsome dark-skinned man with a mass of dark brown curls. He smiled as he waited for the cheers to die down.

"I am your host, William Smith, God of Television Hosts." He beamed, and a full minute of screaming girls later, he continued.

"Allow me to introduce you to the panel of judges. From the right, we have Zelda Fitzgerald, part of the Council of Twelve and Goddess of Trends!"

The big screen flashed a close-up of a woman sitting at the judges' table. She had light skin and short, dark wavy hair. Zelda Fitzgerald smiled slightly as the crowd clapped.

"Second is Gianni Versace, God of Fashion Designers!"

The man in the middle gave a little wave as the camera focused on him. Gianni Versace had gray thinning hair that had just a little hint of white in it. He, like the host, wore a black tuxedo. The smile lines around his eyes crinkled as he, too, gave a little smile for the cheers.

"And beside him, our final judge, is Krissy Taylor, Goddess of Models!"

A beautiful woman with long blond hair parted at the left of her head spread her lips in a wide smile. She was wearing a relatively modern sleeveless black evening dress, a far cry from the black puff- sleeved dress that Zelda was wearing.

After more applause from the audience, William Smith smiled again.

"Now that you've met the judges, it's time to meet the contestants!" He paused, letting the audience cheer for a moment before continuing.

"We have twenty seven contestants this evening. Give it up for the ladies!"

With that, the lights dimmed and the big screen parted in the middle and started slowly moving to opposite sides.

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><p><strong>Hope you liked it.<strong>

**Again, I'm sorry. :( Till next time,  
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**~ SkellyVal**


	4. The Contestants Part 1

**Hi again.**

**It's taken me a long time, but here! :D**

**Special thanks to (I feel like I'm one of those game show hosts right now) awesomestorydigest, for adding this story to your favourite stories list, and to watermelonwafflesBISCUITS for reviewing! It means a lot, guys! **

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><p>"Ms Fran Spinnet!"<p>

A tall, blonde girl stepped on stage. She was wearing a knee-length, glittery, hot pink dress that had a tight waistline and a _very_ ruffled skirt. It clashed horribly with her deep blue eyes. She gave a stiff wave and a semi-forced smile, and walked on wobbly legs to the leftmost side of the stage.

Watching form the flat screen TV backstage, Bridget snickered to Alexa. "She's not winning this one."

Alexa, however, was fidgeting. "Why couldn't I have gotten dressed here, again?"

"Because the dressing room is really crowded with all the other girls trying to dress up," Bridget tutted and slapped the older girl's hand away before it reached her eye. "Stop doing that, you'll ruin your make up!"

"But my hair is itchy!"

Bridget had Alexa's hair done in an up-do, with some loose curls falling around her face.

"Don't mind it too much. It's just for another half hour!" Bridget watched another girl go up on stage. This one had long black hair and dark brown eyes. Her dress was simple; a long evening gown in a soft lavender hue. She gave a confident, winning smile and walked to the right end of the stage.

The young girl frowned. This girl was the one to beat. But it didn't really matter. Bridget was confident of her handiwork on Alexa. Alexa was going to win.

Meanwhile, Alexa groaned. Right now, another thirty minutes did not sound comforting to her at all.

The stage slowly filled up. There were about nineteen girls on stage by now, though most of them were as unlikely to win as the Spinnet girl.

Bridget figured that so far, there were only five others to look out for: the second girl, whose name turned out to be Kathy something-or-the -other, Carys McAnally, a redhead with stunning green eyes and an equally stunning low-backed black dress, an Asiatic girl called Mai Lin wearing a shimmery violet dress, Reilly Anderson, another confident raven-haired girl in a horrendous sequined, ruffled fuschia, orange and neon green dress that Simon would be jealous of, and Anastacia Yeltsin, a platinum blonde girl witch short hair, icy blue eyes, and a dark green evening gown.

"Carrie Roosevelt!"

A pretty brunette whose hair was braided down her side walked on stage, looking as unsure as Alexa felt.

Bridget nudged her. "You're up next. Go up there and kick their butts, Lexie!"

Alexa gulped, trying to compose herself. It didn't help that she had stage fright.

"Alexa van der Donck!"

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><p><strong>I will try to update by next week.<strong>

**Please don't abandon the story. :D**

**~SkellyVal**


	5. The Contestants Part 2

**I am doing this in school, so I'm sorry for typos. :D  
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**I apologize for the absolute shortness of this chapter.  
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**KpopFreak, thank you for favouriting (?) this story. :D  
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><p>Alexa stepped on stage nervously. The light blinded her momentarily, and the stage was really <em>hot<em>. Literally. ALexa could feel beads of sweat forming on her skin, and it had nothing to do with her nervousness.

She gave a smile and a small wave, exactly like Bridget had taught her, while trying to walk to her spot confidently.

_That's it, Alexa, one foot in front of the other,_ she thought to herself, trying hard not to look down. Reachng her spot at the right of the stage, lexa breathed out a sigh of relief.

When her eyes got accustomed to the contrast of the really brightly lit stage and the really dark part of the room where the audience was, she sought out Nicholas.

_And the rest of the Rattle Watch,_ she reminded herself.

She found him- _them_ near the front. Nicholas looked like he'd been slapped. Alexa didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Starting to feel a bit self-conscious, she had to resist the urge to scratch her face. She wondered for the hundredth time that day how some people could stand wearing make-up _every single day_.

She turned her eyes to Simon, who was sitting to his right, and was wearing an outrageous (even by his standards) neon green frilly suit with baby pink edges. He reminded her of a really thin watermelon. Rory sat next to him, wearing his usal jenas and shirt. To the left of Nicholas was Lincoln. He was bouncing around in his chair, as was expected. He was smiling at Nicholas as if he'd just won the lottery, and for Nicholas' part, his cheeks were bright red.

Alexa wondered what that was all about, but the host interrupted her thoughts before she could think about it further.

"Another warm round of applause for these stunning ladies before they come back on for the swimsuit contest!

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><p><strong>I'm really not sure if all stages are the same. But I had a similar experience, and the earlier part of this chapter is actually based on it. :D<br>**

**Read, review, do whatever you want.**

**~SkellyVal**


	6. Question and Answer

**So it's been a really long time, and I'm really, really sorry.**

**Here are the last two chapters.**

**Dedicated to my awesome best friend.**

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><p>"Just don't forget what I said, okay?"<p>

"I don't think I could, even if I wanted to." Alexa said. "You've been drilling it into me for the last ten minutes."

Alexa and Bridget were backstage, waiting for the curtain to go up again, signaling that last portion of the pageant. The swimsuit contest had come and gone without much excitement, and Bridget had been prepping Alexa for the question and answer part for a while.

Bridget nodded for her to continue. "And what have I been saying?"

"World peace, for the children." The older girl rolled her eyes.

"Good. And don't roll your eyes at me."

Alexa only rolled her eyes again. "Yes, mother."

Bridget huffed. "Just remember that you'll be thanking me later."

Alexa scowled. "No, I'll be kicking your butt for making me go through this ridiculous endeavor."

"Famous last words," Bridget assured her. "But hear that? You almost sound like a normal person now! Minus the last two words, but still."

"Ladies, back on stage! Curtain rises in two!" The backstage manager called out in his shrill voice, cutting off the conversation.

"And we are back for the last part of this beauty pageant!" Smith cried as lights played all over the stage. "For the question and answer portion, our beautiful contestants will pick a number from this bowl," he indicated a glass bowl filled with pieces of paper that a tall woman was holding, "and one of our judges will ask the respective question for that number!"

The crowd cheered again, as Smith and the woman with the bowl walked across the stage to the first contestant, Fran Spinnet.

Alexa didn't pay much attention to the questions, or the answers. She just thanked the spirits that she wasn't part of the first few to be asked, and focused on trying not to slouch.

Finally, it was her turn. Alexa dipped her hand in the bowl and pulled out a piece of paper. She handed it to Smith.

"Question number nine!" Smith boomed happily. He seemed to be the only enjoying himself onstage. Even the woman looked slightly uncomfortable.

It was one of Versace's questions. "What would you do if you won a million dollars in the lottery?"

Alexa didn't bother pointing out that Mannahatta didn't have a lottery. She was tempted to say that she'd use the money to renovate the farm she grew up in, but she could already see Bridget smirking over revealing her secret.

"I would use the money to promote world peace, for the children."

The crowd applauded her answer, which she couldn't quite understand. It was obviously a phony answer.

The rest of the contest passed quickly. Pretty soon, Smith announced that they would have to take another break to give the judges time to decide. The curtains went down, and the contestants all went back to their dressing rooms to relax a little. Bridget congratulated Alexa on "the stupidest thing you've ever said. I'm so proud of you!"


	7. The Happily Ever After

**The last chapter.**

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><p>"And the first ever Miss Mannahatta is…" William Smith's booming voice echoed around the stadium.<p>

William Smith stood beside two ladies, one holding a sash that said "Miss Mannahatta," and another holding a pillow that had a tall impractical, sparkly crown on top.

He had already called out the four runners-up, Valerie Pierce, Cameron Bank, Fran Spinnet, and Sarah Klugman, from fourth to first. Alexa stood there, straight-backed, a hand on her hip, one leg posed in front of the other, and smiling, just like a statue. She was mentally cursing Bridget for making her go through this hell, and decided to make good on her promise to kick the girl's butt all the way to the other side of the world. Alexa was seeing colored spots from all the blinding lights, her jaw muscles were probably frozen, and the stage was just so _warm_.

"Alexa van der Donck!"

Alexa wasn't expecting that. A chorus of cheers and applauses came from the crowd as she walked stiffly to the center of the stage. Smith took the sash and slipped it over her head, and gently placed the crown on top of her head. The crown was _really_ heavy.

The winners had to stand there for a while more, as cameras flashed and spirits cheered.

The curtains had closed, and Alexa made her way backstage with the rest of the contestants. Most congratulated her and the other winners, but some of the more competitive ones just glared at them and huffed away.

When Alexa reached the dressing rooms, Bridget came bouncing towards her. She tackled the older girl with a bear hug that sent them stumbling backwards.

"You won! I knew it! I told you you'd win!" Bridget squealed happily. "This calls for a celebration!"

Alexa wheezed, trying to breathe. "Not until you get all this stuff off me."

Some thirty minutes later found the two girls in the reception hall of the arena, looking for the boys amongst the crowd.

"Lexie! Congrats!" Lincoln called, skipping towards them. The rest of the Rattle Watch, plus Rory, followed him, all smiling widely, except for Nicholas. Nicholas' face was red, and he looked extremely embarrassed.

Congratulations and teases went around once the boys had caught up with the girls.

"Hey, Alexa, why are you in pants? You looked so much better in that gown," Simon smirked, raising an amethyst-studded, highlighter-yellow tinted monocle.

"Yeah, Lexie! And what happened to your heels? You're so much shorter now." Lincoln grinned.

"Oh, ha-ha," Alexa said, stepping between them. Putting her arms around their shoulders in a friendly gesture, she said, "Let me tell you guys a little secret."

She then reached for their ears and twisted them, hard.

"Ow, Lexie!" Lincoln complained, rubbing his smarting ear.

"Not fair!" Simon added. "It was a friendly question!"

"And that was a friendly reminder of why you _shouldn't_ ask friendly questions." Alexa said. "Where did you get that monocle, anyway?"

"Keith Child sat beside me. You remember, the guy who never gave me back my neon pink and green pinstripe coat?"

"Oh, yes. The Neon Watermelon Coat Thief. I remember now." Alexa commented drily. "So you took that for compensation?"

"Yeah! I mean, he's filthy rich. He probably has a dozen more at home. He stole _my_ coat in the first place."

"So there's more than one spirit here with horrible fashion taste?" Bridget asked in surprise.

"Hey! My taste in fashion is exquisite!" Simon frowned.

Rory laughed. "Where are the crown and the sash, by the way?"

Bridget shrugged her right shoulder, where a duffel bag was hanging. "Here."

"Ooh!" Lincoln's eye gleamed. His hands reached for the bag. "Can I see the crown?"

The younger girl twisted her should out of the way. "No."

Lincoln's face fell into this adorable sort of pout. "But Bridget…"

Everyone laughed at Lincoln's face.

Noticing how quiet Nicholas was, Alexa nudged him. "Are you okay? You haven't said much."

Nicholas seemed to turn redder. "Uh, yeah, fine."

Lincoln cleared his throat. "Speaking of which, Bridget. You never told us what you said to Lexie to make her join."

Alexa glared at Bridget, who just grinned.

"I told her that I'd tell you that I found out that she likes Nicholas."

Several things happened at once:

Simon and Rory's jaws dropped. "What!"

Lincoln jumped and fist pumped the air. "I knew it!"

Nicholas's eyes grew wider, and he opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again, and Alexa looked murderous.

"You said you wouldn't!"

Bridget shrugged. "I lied."

"You promised."

The younger girl held up two crossed fingers. "Crossed my fingers when I crossed my heart," she taunted.

Alexa made to go at her, but Nicholas spoke.

"You… like me?"

Alexa turned red. "Uh…"

Nicholas looked at Lincoln, who was still standing beside Alexa. He gave the leader two thumbs up.

Nicholas cleared his throat. "So… will you go out with me?"

Alexa gulped, but nodded. "Yes."

The pair grinned like idiots, then held hands and walked off. The scene belonged in a chick flick.

"You're both welcome, by the way!" Bridget shouted after them.

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><p><strong>Here ends A Beauty Pageant.<strong>

**Sorry I kept you all waiting for so long, but thank you for all the patience and support.**

**I hope you all enjoyed it.**

**You too, Fwi. Belated happy birthday. :)**

**~SkellyVal**


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